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Dirty streets? What dirty streets?

It appears San Francisco sidewalks have won “The Longer You Look at It, the Better it Looks” award.

Michael Macor / The Chronicle

At least the sidewalks are clean enough for the koi.

Forget about those Muni transfers, DJ flyers and excrement (dog or otherwise). A new study commissioned by the city controller found that people roaming San Francisco had “generally positive perceptions of the cleanliness of streets and sidewalks.”

In fact, some people surveyed were satisfied with sidewalk cleanliness in many locations that failed the city’s own maintenance standards, according to the report by Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz Associates that was released Thursday.

The opinion research and public policy analysis firm interviewed 841 random people at 56 locations in all 11 supervisorial districts in the city.

The most common complaints were about cigarette butts, trash, smells, grime and a generally dirty appearance, the report found, as opposed to graffiti or leaf litter. The report recommends adjusting city maintenance standards to focus on cigarette butts, glass and feces, which drew the most negative reactions, and to come up with a plan to counter offensive odors.